Fortunately the Big Book was written for people like us - strong
willed, pig headed and probably not as intelligent as we'd like to
think. So Bill and the first 100 were repetitious in thier delivery.
Step one reads:

1. Admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had
become unmanageable.

In the same chapter we have the three pertient ideas which summarize
the first two steps. For this discussion the first point is
perrtinent:

a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.

So being alcoholic meant we were powerless and that if powerless we
were alcoholic.

We are asked two questions at the beginning of Chapter 4 to
determine if we are alcoholic (and thus powerless):

1. "If, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit
entirely, or"

2. "if when drinking, you have little control over the amount you
take, you are probably alcoholic."

So if we answer "tes" to these questions we are alcoholic and we are
powerless.

Jim - Recovered!







--- In We_Have_Recovered@yahoogroups.com, Tammy C <tomatolcook@...>
wrote:
>
>
>
> Note: forwarded message attached.
>
> ---------------------------------
> Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.
> Muncie AA,
> I have a woman at the jail who is having trouble with the
first step. Does anyone have any ESH that I can copy/paste and give
to her for further reading? I would like her to have other AA
member's points of view, for a switch. Also, is there anything that
I can print off for her from the Big Book, or is there anything else
I can get for her to read?Has anyone here had trouble with the
word, "powerless"? I have found this word to be difficult for some
feminist-minded, strong women. I have tried to stress that the word
applies to her use of alcohol and not over other aspects of being a
strong-minded female.
> I believe this lady is inspirational in many areas of
recovery and for the other women around her, and she has the
capacity to be honest with herself and others. I think she has a
great deal of potential. I hate to see her struggle with this vital
first step and then end back up in jail again.
> I was thinking of printing "More About Alcoholism." Last
week she informed me that she wasn't having problems with the second
or third step but it is the "powerless" part of the first step that
is bothering her.
> W/ Gratitude,
> Tammy
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.
>